Trees, Shrubs & Vines

Follow the "twice as wide, plant high" rule: dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball but only as deep. Always set the plant slightly above the ground grade and berm the soil up to it to ensure proper drainage in clay soil.

No, you should never pile mulch against the trunk, a practice known as "volcano mulching". This encourages roots to grow upward into the decomposing mulch, which can eventually girdle and kill the tree. Instead, spread mulch out to the drip line and keep it away from the trunk itself.

Complete heavy pruning of evergreens by July 1st. Pruning later in the season stimulates a burst of new growth that may not have enough time to "harden off" before the first freeze. In the Mid-South, where the first freeze typically arrives in November, growth stimulated after July is especially vulnerable to winter damage.

Match the variety to the available light. Paniculata varieties like Limelights need plenty of sun to bloom well, while Macrophylla varieties — the old-fashioned pinks and blues — require shade to thrive in the heat.

Use a tree and shrub insect drench containing Imidacloprid poured around the trunk once per year. While people often try horticultural oils, they are generally less effective against this specific Asian scale.

Perform the "scratch test": use your thumbnail to scratch a stem to see if it is green underneath. If it is green, the plant is likely alive and will eventually flush out new growth from the nodes.

Success depends on drainage. Set the plant almost on top of the ground rather than in a deep hole. Rhododendrons are highly susceptible to root rot if planted even slightly too deep, particularly in Mid-South clay soil where water drains slowly.

Clematis prefer alkaline soil. Sprinkling a little lime around the base of the plant regularly helps maintain the proper pH for healthy growth.

Clematis thrive best when their roots are in the shade and their vines can grow upward into the sun. Many gardeners plant other perennials around the base to keep the roots cool.

Yes, look for the American variety Amethyst Falls. It is much less aggressive than Chinese or Japanese wisteria and often blooms twice a year.

Native dogwoods prefer high shade or morning sun. In the Mid-South, where afternoon temperatures regularly climb well above 90°F in summer, planting in full afternoon sun can cause significant stress, making trees more prone to borers and disease.

If you are using a synthetic fertilizer, wait until after they finish blooming. Fertilizing too early can force a flush of new growth that hides the flowers.

Encore azaleas require 4 to 6 hours of sun and consistent moisture during the summer. Pruning them lightly after their first major spring flowering also helps thicken the plant and boost later blooms.

Japanese Maples, Okame Cherries, Red Buckeyes, Carolina Silverbells, and Redbuds are all well-suited to smaller Mid-South yards. They offer strong ornamental value without growing into the large estate trees that overwhelm standard lots.

This is likely Aster Yellows, a viral disease spread by leafhoppers that causes a "witch's broom" distortion effect. Remove and discard infected plants entirely to prevent the virus from spreading.

This is azalea leaf gall, a fungus often triggered by mild winters. While unsightly, it is mostly superficial. Simply remove and discard the affected leaves by hand.

Yes, drive the rebar through the root ball into the subsoil, making sure it does not touch the trunk. Tie the tree loosely so it can still move slightly, which helps it build trunk strength naturally.

This is slime flux, a bacterial infection in the tree's heartwood. It often smells unpleasant but is generally not harmful to the tree's overall health, though it can attract ants and other insects.

Wrap the trunks with burlap or tree wrap from late fall until April 1st. In the Mid-South, winter sun can heat thin bark enough to crack it even on cold days — a condition called sunscald. The wrapping shields the bark through the most vulnerable period.

Practice selective pruning by thinning out individual limbs to maintain a natural tree shape. Avoid topping them — sometimes called "crepe murder" — which creates ugly knobbed regrowth and produces weak, fast-growing water sprouts rather than healthy branching structure.

Wait until after the tree has finished blooming. Pruning in late winter or early spring removes the flower buds that were set the previous fall, eliminating that year's display before it has a chance to open.

Cypress knees are woody root growths that develop when a bald cypress sits in prolonged wet or waterlogged soil. They can be safely removed by cutting them flush at ground level with a saw if they are creating a hazard or maintenance problem.

Rather than only shearing the outer surface, reach inside the shrub and selectively remove some interior stems. This allows light and air to penetrate the center, which prevents the common problem of a thin green shell with a dead, dark interior.

Vitex is a fast-growing, hardy small tree or large shrub that produces tall purple flower spikes in summer — a period when relatively few large shrubs are in bloom. It is an outstanding attractor of pollinators, particularly bumblebees, and tolerates Mid-South heat and drought well once established.

Old-fashioned Macrophylla hydrangeas bloom only on wood produced the previous year. In the Mid-South, erratic late-winter weather often causes buds to begin swelling during a warm spell, which are then killed by a subsequent hard freeze. The result is a healthy-looking plant with no flowers.

Paniculata varieties like Limelights and Arborescens varieties like Annabelle are the most reliably blooming choices. Both flower on the current season's new growth, so a late freeze cannot eliminate that year's flower buds.

Yes, by adding aluminum sulfate to lower the soil pH and make aluminum available to the plant, which shifts the blooms toward blue. However, it is considerably easier to turn a blue hydrangea pink by adding lime. The Mid-South's naturally acidic soils require ongoing effort to keep pH high enough for clear pink blooms.

Prune Limelights in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. You can cut them back quite aggressively — down to 12 to 18 inches from the ground — and they will still bloom well that summer because they flower on the current season's new wood.

The Oakleaf Hydrangea is a native Mid-South shrub with large lobed leaves and massive white flower spikes in summer. It is drought-tolerant once established, shade-tolerant, and produces excellent fall color. It is one of the most low-maintenance shrubs available for local conditions.

Yes. Paniculata varieties thrive in as much sun as you can provide. Unlike the shade-preferring big-leaf Macrophylla types, Paniculatas actually produce more and larger flowers with greater sun exposure.

Yes, but keep in mind that gift hydrangeas are typically forced in a greenhouse and are generally less cold-hardy than hydrangeas sold as landscape specimens at garden centers. Plant it in a protected location and allow it a full season to adjust to outdoor conditions.

Serratas are mostly lace-cap types that tend to be more bud-hardy than old-fashioned mop-head Macrophylla varieties. In the Mid-South, where late freezes can kill Macrophylla buds, a Serrata is a better choice if you want a big-leaf-style hydrangea that blooms more consistently.

It is not required for plant health, but removing spent blooms keeps the shrub tidy. On some newer reblooming hybrids, deadheading may encourage a second flush of flowers later in the season.

Yes. Miss Kim is a compact, dwarf lilac that handles our climate well, growing to about four to six feet. It produces fragrant purple blooms in spring and tolerates Mid-South summers far better than standard lilac varieties.

Look for columnar varieties that grow tall but do not spread wide. Good options include columnar Hornbeam, columnar Red Oak, and the Skyward Bald Cypress. These provide significant height and screening without taking up horizontal space.

Yes. The small pink-purple blooms of the Eastern Redbud are edible and have a mild, slightly sweet flavor. They can be used to add color to salads or as a garnish.

Unlike hybrid tea roses, climbers should only be pruned to remove clearly dead wood or canes that are creating a problem. Climbers bloom best on wood that is two to three years old, so aggressive annual pruning removes the most productive growth.

Yes. The Fairy Tale Bride is a cascading white hydrangea specifically bred to weep over container edges. It is well-suited to hanging baskets and large elevated planters.

Yellow Baptisia is a native perennial that produces bright yellow blooms in spring. It has a naturally arching, spreading habit and needs significant space — it can grow up to four feet wide. Once established it is very drought-tolerant and long-lived with minimal maintenance.